Why travelling on your own is great
By Amanda Mcculley
Illustrated by Eleanor Qu
“Wow, I could never do that,” the cashier at Value Village tells me as I explain that the second hand backpack was going to help me get across the country. Her incredulity reminded me of other warnings and declarations of disbelief from acquaintances.
It was like that awkward party in my hometown where a girl I had played soccer with explained that she had never been out of the province, or the time my co-worker warned me that my friend and I would be assaulted if we tried to hitchhike from Montreal to Kingston for St Patrick’s Day.
I wasn’t always the type to take off across countries by myself; when I was 18, I couldn’t even go to a concert alone. But after one too many nights home alone regretting my cowardice, and a few years of independence and experience, I’ve grown into a woman who has travelled across Canada twice, hitchhiked, and gone through the States on my own.
While my journeys earn me worried phone calls from family members and looks of disbelief from acquaintances, through happenstance I still manage to know people who have gone out of their comfort zones more than me — and have gone it alone.
Human beings are considered social creatures that see doing anything alone as scary and risky. A friend of mine from Newfoundland recently visited me during a political science conference and frankly, her experience of staying in close quarters with a gaggle of underslept, travel-weary girls seems scarier than any solo travel experience I’ve ever had.
Over the holidays, I stayed in Seattle by myself for a few days before flying back to Ontario. I was alone, yes, but I managed to befriend a very cool Aussie girl during a pub crawl — a pub crawl that wound up being just the two of us.
We ventured up to Capitol Hill, where we met a bar owner, played Connect Four at a pub, and wound up making friends with more travellers after a booze run at Target landed us back at the hostel.
I often get frustrated at my friends’ unwillingness to come travel with me, but there are tons of other people out there experiencing the exact same frustration and wanderlust.
Coordinating group travel is hard. You have to compromise, make conversation, and plan pit stops. As I get older, I’ve realized I’m not the type to be social all the time; I would rather fold laundry if my roommate’s boring friend is over, and I feel uncomfortable holding hands on first, second, and tenth dates.
My best travel experiences have happened when I’ve gone it alone; more often than not, I manage to meet other young people and we have a great time. Unlike friends from home, they don’t get upset if I want to stay in bed and nurse a hangover instead of going shopping.
Travelling alone means not worrying about splitting costs, losing track of someone, or being friendly all the time. It means exploring what you want, when you want, and not having to answer to anybody.
As for this idea that travelling alone is physically dangerous? Just don’t be an idiot.
Maybe travelling alone during blizzards or in regions of conflict is a bad idea. Things like maps, phones, and backup plans become your best friend.
Frankly, the only times I have ever actually been at risk of being assaulted in any way was amongst friends, at a bar I go to frequently right here in Vancouver. You are more likely to be assaulted by someone you know someplace that you’re familiar with than abroad.
By avoiding travel, young people (especially women) miss out on amazing experiences that are at the very least fun and at best monumental. It is a shame that individuals are scared or shamed into missing out on what they want to do when the journey can be so fulfilling.
Yes, sometimes due to logistics or personality clashes, travel happens solo. Sometimes that’s the way to go.
